Publications by authors named "R Mackenzie-Ross"
Coronary artery calcification is prevalent in systemic sclerosis and is associated with adverse prognosis.
J Scleroderma Relat Disord
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients with systemic sclerosis, a condition characterized by inflammation, and its association with mortality risk and implications for primary prevention.
- Out of 258 patients analyzed, 58% exhibited CAC, with the highest prevalence found in those with pulmonary arterial hypertension compared to other subgroups, suggesting that CAC is a significant indicator of worsening health in these patients.
- Severity of CAC is linked to increased mortality risk, independent of factors like age and other co-morbidities, highlighting the need for careful monitoring and potential preventive strategies in affected patients.
Aim: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of an automated artificial intelligence derived right ventricle/left ventricle diameter ratio (RV/LV) computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) analysis tool to detect pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with suspected PH referred to a specialist centre.
Materials And Methods: The present study was a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database of 202 consecutive patients with suspected PH, who underwent CTPA within 12 months of right heart catheterisation (RHC). Automated ventricular segmentation and RV/LV calculation (Imbio LLC, Minneapolis, MN, USA) was undertaken on the CTPA images.
Autoimmunity is believed to play a role in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). It is not clear whether this is causative or a bystander of disease and if it carries any prognostic or treatment significance. To study autoimmunity in IPAH using a large cross-sectional cohort.
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- The study conducts a systematic review to evaluate how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in cross-sectional imaging for diagnosing acquired pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
- A total of three retrospective observational studies were analyzed, showing high accuracy in AI models applied to cardiac MRI, with one model achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.97 for idiopathic PAH.
- The findings suggest that AI could provide effective, non-invasive support in diagnosing PAH, though more research is needed in this field for improved early detection and application in other imaging methods.
Article Synopsis
- About 25% of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have rare mutations in genes that cause the disease, prompting researchers to utilize deep phenotyping and whole-genome sequencing to uncover genetic associations.
- In a large study of over 13,000 participants, a Bayesian method identified significant links between loss-of-function variants in the Kinase Insert Domain Receptor (KDR) gene and specific clinical features of PAH, including reduced lung function and older age at diagnosis.
- The study also confirmed KDR as a candidate gene for PAH and highlighted its role in the vascular system, suggesting its potential for clinical relevance in understanding and treating the disease.